The Golden Hour
Gold by light, gold by nature. The golden hour, or ‘magic’ hour, is a widely used term in photography and just means the periods of time just after sunrise and just before sunset. For many, the golden hour is the best time to take photos although it’s definitely not impossible at other times of day.
Why Does The Golden Hour Happen?
During these times after sunrise/before sunset, the Sun is positioned low in the sky. Sunlight has to go through a greater distance of atmosphere when low in the sky, reducing its intensity as well as changing the colour temperature. At lower angles, sunlight diffuses differently to when higher in the sky. Light at the blue end of the spectrum is scattered more than the red end, leaving us with generally warmer light (red/orange/yellow).
When Does The Golden Hour Happen?
Depending on where you live, the time of year and the weather, the golden hour varies in duration and time. There are several handy apps you can download for your phone to track when the golden hour will be and how long it will last. It’s called the golden hour as it is generally the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset.
Why Do Photographers Like The Golden Hour?
Where the Sun is positioned low in the sky, this gives us natural light at the warmer end of the spectrum, giving everything a golden hue. Light is also lower in intensity/brightness, so images are less likely to take on the harsher appearance that can happen when shooting in the middle of the day. Light is also much more directional than during the day, which you can use to your advantage with shadows, or directional lighting.
How to Make the Most of The Golden Hour
1) Leave plenty of time
Things can change very quickly in the golden hour, even though an hour might sound like a long time! Changing shadows, changing exposure, weather – all of these can mean a shot might be perfect one minute and not quite right the next. Especially early on in my photography journey, I made the mistake of arriving at my location at the start of golden hour. I’ve then spent the next hour running around trying to find a composition, change my mind, fiddle with settings or filters, and before you know it it’s over. Get to location an hour or so before the start of golden hour so you can plan your shots. Getting up at 2-3am in summer will be worth it for the perfect photo!
2) Don’t try and fit in too much
Light changes very quickly during the golden hour. If you find a composition you like, it’s often worth staying put to make the most of changing conditions, rather than taking a few photos and moving on. I’ve often kicked myself for being impatient or unhappy with a particular composition and moving on to try something new, only for the light to change and I can see my original composition looking beautiful!
There is always another sunrise or sunset, so take your time and if you feel that a location has more to offer, go back again!
3) Extra effects
Taking photos during golden hour opens up some different techniques to try.
You can make use of ‘starburst’ effects, where you get star shaped light radiating around the Sun. Or make use of directional light and the right exposure to get silhouettes of your subject.
Shadows can play a really important role during the golden hour, as they are much longer and more pronounced during this time. This can help you to add depth, texture and extra detail to your images. Shooting side on to the direction of light can give you really powerful shadows of your subject or elements like hills, sand dunes, mountains etc, so get creative!
4) Have the right equipment
Depending on your subject, make sure you have the kit you need to shoot in low light. For landscapes, a tripod means you can keep the ISO (and noise) down and bump up your shutter speed. For some beautiful seascapes, try using ND filters with a tripod and long shutter speed to get some silky smooth seas.
Make sure you are updating your camera settings as conditions change. Use the histogram on your camera to make sure you aren’t over- or underexposing your shots. As a personal rule of thumb, it’s easier to slightly underexpose your photos and bring back out the detail in post-processing, than it is if you overexpose.
To summarise:
The golden hour can certainly be magical and I’ve taken some of my favourite ever photos during these times. It often means early starts or late finishes but it’s definitely worth it for the quality of your photos. Apart from anything else, if it does mean it’s especially early or late, chances are your location won’t be busy. The first sunrise I made an early start for was at Lake Bled in Slovenia (image above). I was alone on top of a nearby hill and I’ll never forget how peaceful and spectacular it was. 18-year-old me would be horrified, but I’ve found that getting up for a solo sunrise is one of the most relaxing things you can do. So make yourself a strong cup of coffee and get going!